Being founded in 1906, St. Paul’s has had an over 110 year history of worship, service and proclamation of the Gospel in Telford and surrounding communities. During these years, St. Paul’s has been served by only six senior pastors. Some key highlights of our history include:
In 1908 the newly formed congregation built a church on Main Street at the site of the former Union Chapel, which was purchased by members of St. Paul’s.
In the wake of World War I, the congregation made the painful decision to end services in German, the ancestral language of most of the congregation.
In the late 1930’s, St. Paul’s joined with Trinity UCC and Grace Methodist to cooperatively sponsor annual Community Thanksgiving Services and Community Vacation Bible Schools. These joint ministries continue to the present day.
Until 1956, St. Paul’s first two pastors, the Reverends Fetter and Brobst, also served as the pastors of Little Zion Lutheran Church, a short distance outside of town.
The Lutheran Community at Telford, a retirement community founded in 1960, was initially envisioned by Pastor Brobst and has been supported to the present day by St. Paul’s and eleven other Lutheran congregations.
In 1978 the old church building was demolished with a new sanctuary in the round being completed in 1980. In the late 2000’s air conditioning and an elevator was installed and additional renovations were made.
At many points in its history, St. Paul’s has undertaken diverse service projects, including clean-up along the Susquehanna River after Hurricane Agnes in 1972, multiple service trips to the Gulf Coast in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina, 15 years of annual mission trips to the Rocky Boy Indian Reservation in Montana, and financial and volunteer support for the Keystone Opportunity Board, a local agency serving the needy.
Through much of its history and into the present day, music and multiple choirs have played an important role in St. Paul’s ministry of worship.
Since the 1970’s, St. Paul’s has at different times been staffed with a Director of Christian Education, including at the present time. From 2005 until 2020, St. Paul’s was also staffed with an Associate Pastor of Senior Ministry.